Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Osorno

For one person, living is cheaper in Osorno: $1,025 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Osorno
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Osorno Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Osorno

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,025

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Osorno

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cape Town and in Osorno actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,025 in Osorno, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Osorno $1,025

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,499 in Osorno, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Osorno $1,499

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $1,973 in Osorno, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Osorno $1,973

Cape Town costs about 49% more than Osorno, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Osorno is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$7.53 CLP 7,343

59.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 709

$30.70 CLP 30.0K

39.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$6.71 CLP 6,546

-8.35%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.13

$2.07 CLP 2,017

14.49%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 21.01

$1.32 CLP 1,292

-3.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.49

$3.22 CLP 3,144

-70.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.88

$1.73 CLP 1,688

71.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.0

$2.55 CLP 2,488

44.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.78

$1.24 CLP 1,214

6.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.91

$1.49 CLP 1,458

-18.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.34

$1.53 CLP 1,496

43.79%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.3

$3.60 CLP 3,514

-13.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$9.73 CLP 9,490

-10.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$5.28 CLP 5,153

30.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$9.13 CLP 8,906

1.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.15

$1.97 CLP 1,922

-7.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.20

$1.39 CLP 1,358

40.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.38

$1.74 CLP 1,696

-4.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.27

$1.95 CLP 1,900

9.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.07

$1.94 CLP 1,893

-18.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.35

$1.67 CLP 1,625

-11.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.23

$1.17 CLP 1,140

15.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.90

$0.95 CLP 930

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.1

$5.10 CLP 4,978

-29.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100.0

$4.38 CLP 4,276

38.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.00

$1.49 CLP 1,456

-6.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.98

$3.03 CLP 2,952

-28.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.07

$0.53 CLP 521

164.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,003

$15.29 CLP 14.9K

297.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.30

$2.74 CLP 2,674

-66.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.87

$0.93 CLP 905

-3.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.9

$4.97 CLP 4,845

-0.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.43

$1.41 CLP 1,377

9.22%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.4K R 584.1K

$14.2K CLP 13.9M

148.98%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$33.4K R 551.2K

$14.3K CLP 14.0M

132.70%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$117 R 1,934

$100 CLP 97.9K

16.66%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$25.71 R 425

$10.16 CLP 9,914

153.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 651

$29.55 CLP 28.8K

33.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 852

$57.8 CLP 56.4K

-10.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$13.38 CLP 13.1K

-15.17%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

$9.19 CLP 8,970

-3.26%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$308 R 5,081

$356 CLP 347.3K

-13.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

$40.08 CLP 39.1K

43.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 524

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,915

$42.44 CLP 41.4K

173.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,663

$43.29 CLP 42.2K

132.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.3K

$394 CLP 384.1K

165.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

$377 CLP 367.6K

77.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$495 CLP 483.0K

275.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$558 CLP 544.1K

152.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

$1,005 CLP 980.3K

139.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,516 CLP 1.5M

3.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$603 CLP 588.3K

170.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

4.72

130.72%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Osorno: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Osorno

$377 36.8% 43.7% $292

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Osorno

$213 20.8% 4.4% $9.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Osorno

$140 13.7% 23.1% $42

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Osorno

$137 13.4% 21.2% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Osorno

$57 * 5.5% 58.9% $81

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Osorno

$25 2.4% 65.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Osorno

$76 7.4% 9.8% $6.8

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $394 in Osorno. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cape Town are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $31 in Osorno. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $213 – making Osorno the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇨🇱 Osorno

🕒 Local time

19:19 7:19 PM

14:19 2:19 PM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

147,666

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.25 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 16.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 976 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,087 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.2 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Osorno 7,760 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Osorno

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cape Town vs Osorno: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 49% more than Osorno, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $1,537 in Osorno. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Osorno, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $394 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,025 in Osorno. That makes Osorno about 33% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 75% less in Osorno. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Osorno, where all-in costs run around $1,025, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Osorno it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,025 in Osorno to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Osorno. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.